I applaud this artist's decision to pull his photograph from the show at the National Portrait Gallery to protest the censorship of a gay artist whose video was censored at the insistence of the one lone homophobe who calls himself "The Catholic League," and echo his call that all other artists pull their work from the show as well. Read an exceprt from the story below, and click the title to read the entire story at the Washington Post website.
Protesting video's removal, artist asks Portrait Gallery to take his work out of show
On Wednesday evening, just before the unveiling of one of his photographs in a prestigious show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, Canadian artist AA Bronson took an unusual step: He asked another major museum, the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, to take another print of the same work down.
I'm really on the fence concerning his decision. I applaud his courage to stand up, but removing all gay art only accomplishes what the homophobes want. They want it gone. I say push it in their face.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's not ideal, BUT I love the idea of presenting a united front, and sending a strong message to the Smithsonian that we are standing together with this censored artist who cannot speak for himself -- since he died of AIDS. I love the idea that there will be blank spots on the wall to match the blank video screens, and I think it will cause more controversy and media attention to be focused on this horrible, terrible, homophobic decision that the Smithsonian is standing behind. Perhaps if enough artists pull their work, the Smithsonian will begin to lose enough credibility as an art institution to re-examine their decision to censor.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the decision to pull art from the gallery in solidarity. I just hate to see more Queer art go away.
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